


Liminal Space

by Lunarium



Series: After You Found Me [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, M/M, Post-Season/Series 06, Team as Family, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, after christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:18:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22010143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: It’s after Christmas, and that means back to work. Allura has found a way to get to Haggar, but it means driving the Atlas through a strange, cosmic tunnel.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: After You Found Me [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579168
Kudos: 11





	Liminal Space

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sheith Christmas Week, prompt "After Christmas". 
> 
> Set nine years after “[Yes, Akira, There Is a Gallbladder](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21980521),” so Akira is now 14 years old, Keith and Shiro are both in their 40s, and Admiral Hayato and Takara are both in their 60s-70s. Everyone’s growing up. :’) 
> 
> Maybe the only non-humorous story from the week. Ahh, sorry! XD But there's a happy ending! Just some sci-fi weirdness. XD
> 
> A couple of additional warnings (brief, but for those who'll appreciate them): brief mention of implied cutting in the past for one character, another having been in a house fire. There are other traumas but are left vague here. ♥️

It was three days after Christmas, and everyone found themselves converging on the Altas bridge. Years had gone by in pursuit of Haggar and Merla; Allura and Lance, who had been away on a mission, had just returned with news. 

“We believe we’ve tracked Haggar and Merla down,” Allura said. “There’s a strange cosmic tunnel up ahead, but it’s the only way we can get to them.”

“What sort of tunnel are we talking about?” Shiro asked. 

“We couldn’t get much information on the tunnel’s nature with our Lions, but—”

“The Atlas can handle it,” Hayato said. “Black holes haven’t affected her.” 

Keith and Shiro didn’t miss the way Allura’s eyebrows furrowed incredulously nor how Lance glanced about nervously. But as they had no other options, the Atlas was ordered to make for the cosmic tunnel. 

“Don’t you need some pilots scanning the area?” Akira asked her parents as they watched the procession through the observation deck with the other paladins. A mere first year cadet, she was restless at simply shadowing others. She grew up on the Atlas! She knew how to pilot! There was nothing more that Akira wanted than to face off the most dangerous people in the universe right this moment! In many ways she reminded Shiro of his husband Keith. “Not even the MFEs?”

“No,” Keith said. “We’re all staying on deck.” 

“Not even the Lions?” 

“Not even the Lions.” 

Akira groaned and slouched on a nearby vacant seat. “No fighters, no scientists studying the thing out there—That’s so boring! I want to know more about this tunnel, whatever it is!” 

Shiro chuckled. “When scouting unfamiliar territory, be it on land or outer space, you need to be as cautious as you possibly can. We can’t afford losing anyone. Once we get a better idea of this tunnel, we can explore more later on.” 

Asakura’s voice rang on the overhead, _“Entering tunnel in five…four…three…two…”_

 _“General Shirogane! Captain Shirogane!”_ Iverson’s suddenly boomed out on the overhead. _“We need you immediately! The Admiral—something’s wrong—!”_

“What's going on?!” Shiro yelled. 

“I don't know, I—” 

Screams filled the radio. 

“DAD!” Shiro bolted out of the room, closely followed by Keith, Akira, and all of the paladins. His mother, General Takara Shirogane, met them halfway, looking just as alarmed. 

Stopping for no one, Shiro made for the bridge, panicked and terrified what possibly could have happened to his father. 

The doors to the bridge swung wide open upon him nearing it; he ran inside, and—

“Waaah!” 

Something small lunged at Shiro, squeezing hold of his leg. 

“What the—?”

In that moment, terrible pain shot all over Shiro’s body. Breathing grew difficult. More screams, crying, filled his ears, but he was more concerned with trying to get enough air into his lungs. 

His legs ached. His arms—his right arm especially—he couldn’t move! 

_Wait a tick…_

Glancing down, he gasped. His right arm was made of flesh once more. And he was no longer in his paladin armor, but back in the garb the Galra dressed all of their prisoners. 

He peered down at his leg at the crying child. “Dad?” 

“Daddy! Is Sven dead?!” Akira wept frantically behind him. He turned around and saw his daughter, no longer fourteen, but five years old again, looking as devastated as she had the day when Merla had—

“No, no, honey,” Shiro hushed, trying to get over to comfort her, but Hayato kept him rooted. “Sven’s not dead! He’s just elsewhere, he’s—” 

Gasping, he spotted the hall they had just come from: Lance was rocking himself at a corner, eyes wide. Pidge, a teen again, was curled far away, weeping silently. Takara lay on all fours glancing, staring, shellshocked, at some point Shiro couldn’t perceive, some previous battle. Hunk was crying for his sister who had just gotten in a fatal car accident, Allura was weeping for her mother, her father, her planet…

“What’s going on?” 

Shiro turned towards the bridge. Iverson, looking younger, was crouched over someone, but Shiro couldn’t see anyone in his arms. Weeping, Iverson bitterly begged the person to stay with him. The others on deck had also changed: some younger than others, all broken down and crying. Watching Veronica was the worst, as she appeared as Shiro remembered her in high school; recognizing the blade in her hand ran shivers up his spine—“Veronica, don’t!” 

Acxa couldn’t stop her. She was lost battling her own demons, pressing her tiny hands tight against her ears and screaming bloody murder. Watching all of them, Shiro didn’t know how much more his heart could take. 

“Poppy!” came a shrill and horrified cry, and Shiro’s heart plummeted, shattering to pieces. He finally found Keith: small, tiny Keith, who was wedged into a tiny ball under one of the navigator’s stations, his eyes squeezed shut. He kept screaming and screaming for his father as he shielded himself away from approaching flames. 

“Keith! It’s just an illusion!” Shiro called out even as his body nearly gave out under him. He struggled with his frantic father—Sven and Akira were amazing practice for this moment—and hoisted him to the station.

“Dad, you have to take control!” Shiro begged. 

_“Momma!”_ Hayato shrieked. 

Frowning, Shiro wondered what sort of horror his dad had endured and realized he had never before asked him about his mother. Come to think of it, his grandfather had never said anything about his wife, and Shiro never asked, a little anxious about what the true story was…Shiro shook his head. No time to dwell on that now. Every one of his loved ones were suffering, and he had to do something about this. 

How did this happen? Everything was fine, until…

Staring up ahead, Shiro realized they were inside the tunnel hurling at top speed. Realization hit him. Every inch of him seared with pain, but Shiro was able to sweep up Akira in his arms and hoist both his father and daughter onto the admiral’s podium with him. 

Then slamming his fist down on the radio, he roared out, as well as his weakening lungs could allow: “Everyone on board! This is Shiro of the Black Lion speaking!”

He saw a spark of recognition in tiny Keith’s eyes. Good, good, he could get through to them. 

“The trauma you’re experiencing is an illusion! Everything you’re feeling and seeing are caused by the tunnel we’re traveling through!” 

“He’s…he’s right!” Coran gasped as he crawled towards Shiro on all fours, a framed photo of King Alfor next to him. He blew his nose on a handkerchief. “We’re traveling through a tunnel of Liminal Space-Time! I’ve only ever heard of such a phenomenon!” 

“What must we do?” Shiro asked. 

“Well, nothing!” Coran said. “Liminal Space-Time makes those who undergo through its maze a true warrior! It sifts through our memories and experiences, weighs what was, and reshapes us for what is to come! We’ll get through it alright, but the journey’s a lot worse the more you resist it!”

“You heard Coran!” Shiro boomed into the radio. “Do not resist the thoughts! Let the tunnel reshape you!” 

He regarded Hayato and Akira. 

“Dad—Hayato—please, can you stay here for a moment?” Shiro begged. Hayato nodded. 

Shiro labored across the bridge. Acxa had stopped screaming; Veronica had, thankfully, let the blade drop, and she now had Acxa tucked under one arm protectively. Iverson closed his eyes and was taking deep breaths. The others behind Shiro all quieted down; shaking, but silently enduring the process. 

Keith lay curled up under the desk. 

“Keith,” Shiro said and offered a hand. “It’s Shiro. Poppy isn’t here, but I’ve heard so much about him. Take my hand.” 

Cracking one eye open, Keith tentatively extended out a hand, so tiny in Shiro’s. Together, they made it back to Hayato’s station. Pulling Keith, Hayato, and Akira into a big group hug, Shiro peered at the others over their heads.

_See you on the other side, everyone._

⁂

“Well, if that didn’t feel like the strangest nap in my life!” Hunk said afterwards.

“I’m feeling great!” Pidge said. “More than great!”

“Did anyone else feel like they went from hell to heaven in that trip?” Hunk asked. 

“Yeah!” Lance said. “I feel like I can take on the entire empire now!” 

“Single-handedly?” Allura giggled. 

“You feel the same way!” Lance insisted. 

Grinning, Allura shrugged. “I do, actually!”

While the paladins spoke excitedly, Keith made his way to Shiro. Embracing him, he thanked Shiro with a kiss on the lips. 

“Thank you for helping us all out of that,” he said. “And…thank you for pulling me out from the fire. How are you feeling?” 

“Better, thanks,” Shiro said with a smile. “Glad my Dad’s okay. As painful as it was going through the ordeal, I think it was beneficial to all of us in the end.” 

Keith nodded. “I feel more alert and ready. Didn’t realize the holiday made us lower our guards a little. I feel more ready now. What about you, Akira?” 

“I would have preferred a polar plunge, but this is okay too!” Akira said. 

“Admiral!” Asakura announced. “We’re heading towards some unknown atmospheric land mass—the temperature readings are sub zero, sir!” 

Hayato’s laughter bellowed from his station as Takara regarded him emotionlessly. “Full speed ahead! Voltron paladins, scan the vicinity!” 

Keith and Shiro regarded one another with horror as Akira hopped excitedly. 

“Polar plunge!”

**Author's Note:**

> Sven isn't in the picture (hmm, wondering why ;) ), but need to stress: he didn't die. <3


End file.
